The Co-op Food Stores

added 02/21/08

by Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D., Food and Nutrition Educator

Are you thinking about getting pregnant, are you pregnant now, or are you breast-feeding?

Finding accurate, science-based information about your pregnancy or breastfeeding diet is crucial for you and your healthy baby. The brand new MyPyramid for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding section of the MyPyramid website is full of the latest, well-researched nutrition and food safety information, presented in a format that makes it easy to find just what you need.

The nutrition recommendations you’ll find here are consistently based on the most up-to-date research from comprehensive and reliable resources such as the Institute of Medicine’s Dietary Reference Intakes, the US Dietary Guidelines, the National Women’s Health Information Center, the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine and the Office of Dietary Supplements. The pregnancy food safety information comes from sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and includes links to local state fish advisories. For those who may need assistance with meeting their nutritional needs, there are helpful links to the Food Stamps and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. It really is a “one-stop shop.”

Pregnant and breastfeeding moms will especially appreciate the site’s high-quality advice and links to in-depth information on such topics as nutritional needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding, pregnancy weight gain, breastfeeding weight loss, dietary supplements, special health needs, and food safety.

It all begins, appropriately, with the sage advice encouraging you to visit a healthcare provider for monitoring your and your baby’s health and for guidance with special vitamin/mineral supplements that you may need.

Since it’s a personalized site, it will automatically provide your own food guide, the MyPyramid Plan for Moms based on your stats such as height, weight, due date, and activity level. This daily healthy food plan includes the kinds of foods you will want to be sure to eat and is adjusted for the right calorie level at each trimester.

Thinking about breastfeeding or want to encourage someone to think about it? Click on the link to the benefits of breastfeeding and how to cope successfully with the challenges it may present.

Lots of pregnant, and breastfeeding mothers have questions about the healthfulness of fish. Click on the food safety link to find information about which fish to avoid (these high-mercury species: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish) and which are healthful, low-mercury choices to include in your diet. You’ll find you may eat up to 12 ounces a week (2 average meals) of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury, such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. “White” tuna (albacore) has more mercury than canned light tuna, so include no more than 6 ounces per week of white tuna.

Be the first expecting or breastfeeding mom in your group to check out this great new and reliable website! It can do a lot to answer the important questions you have now, throughout, and after your healthy pregnancy.

The Key to Remembering

You know fish is important for your baby’s brain development, and you know there are four high-mercury fish to avoid, but you can’t remember which ones they are? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a free, small, fish-shaped key tag that contains this info and also lists which fish are low in mercury. Just call the EPA’s National Service Center for Environmental Publications at 1-800-490-9198. Ask for the fish keychain tag, Item number: 823E06004.